This is a first draft. It outlines how 2 scripts – Python code on a Raspberry Pi 5, and php code on Scootercam’s website – work together to produce timelapse videos. Expect some changes.

Intelligent Timelapse Manager

A sophisticated timelapse system that captures images at optimized intervals throughout the day and automatically creates incremental videos perfect for sunset/sunrise and nature photography.

🌅 Features

Smart Period-Based Capture

• Day Period (8am-4pm): 30-second intervals for efficient daytime coverage
• Evening Period (4pm-12am): 15-second intervals for optimal sunset capture
• Night Period (12am-8am): 45-second intervals for minimal nighttime activity

Automated Video Processing

• Creates MP4 segments every 15 minutes with consistent 15 FPS
• Automatic FTP upload to web server
• Real-time incremental video concatenation
• Growing “day-so-far” videos that update throughout each period

Production-Ready Architecture

• Multi-camera support (tested with Reolink and Amcrest cameras)
• Robust error handling and recovery
• UTF-8 logging with detailed debugging
• Automatic cleanup of processed files
• Period-aware scheduling system

📋 Requirements

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi (tested on Pi 3/4)
• IP cameras with RTSP support
• Stable network connection
• Web server with FTP access

Software

• Python 3.7+
• FFmpeg
• curl
• Required Python packages: requests, schedule

🚀 Installation

1. Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/timelapse-manager.git
cd timelapse-manager

2. Install Dependencies

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install FFmpeg and curl
sudo apt install ffmpeg curl -y

# Install Python packages
pip3 install requests schedule

3. Configure Cameras

Edit timelapse_config.json:

{
  "cameras": {
    "camera1": {
      "url": "rtsp://username:password@192.168.1.100/stream",
      "enabled": true,
      "output_dir": "camera1",
      "resolution": "1920x1080",
      "period_intervals": {
        "day": 30,
        "evening": 15,
        "night": 45
      }
    }
  },
  "server": {
    "ftp_host": "your-server.com",
    "ftp_user": "your-ftp-user",
    "ftp_password": "your-ftp-password"
  }
}

4. Deploy Server Script

Upload concatenate_videos.php to your web server and update the authentication key.

📖 Usage

Manual Operation

# Test camera connectivity
python3 timelapse_manager.py capture_test

# Test FTP upload
python3 timelapse_manager.py ftp_test

# Check current status
python3 timelapse_manager.py status

# Test period-based intervals
python3 timelapse_manager.py period_test

# Run the main service
python3 timelapse_manager.py

System Service (Optional)

# Create systemd service
sudo cp timelapse-manager.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl enable timelapse-manager.service
sudo systemctl start timelapse-manager.service

📊 Video Output

Expected Durations (8-hour periods)

• Day Video: ~1:04 minutes (960 images at 15 FPS)
• Evening Video: ~2:08 minutes (1,920 images at 15 FPS)
• Night Video: ~0:43 minutes (640 images at 15 FPS)

File Structure

/timelapse/
├── camera1/
│   ├── images/           # Captured images
│   └── segments/         # Local MP4 segments (temporary)
├── current/              # Growing videos (server)
│   ├── camera1_20250819_evening_current.mp4
│   └── camera1_20250819_day_current.mp4
└── archive/              # Completed period videos
    ├── camera1_20250819_day_143000.mp4
    └── camera1_20250819_evening_210000.mp4

⚙️ Configuration

Period Intervals

Customize capture frequencies in timelapse_config.json:

"period_intervals": {
  "day": 30,      // seconds between captures (8am-4pm)
  "evening": 15,  // seconds between captures (4pm-12am)
  "night": 45     // seconds between captures (12am-8am)
}

Video Settings

"general": {
  "segment_fps": 15,        // Output video frame rate
  "segment_interval": 900,  // Segment creation interval (seconds)
  "image_quality": 85,      // JPEG quality (1-100)
  "cleanup_days": 7         // Local file retention
}

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Multiple processes running:

# Kill all instances
sudo pkill -f timelapse_manager
ps aux | grep timelapse  # Should only show grep command

FFmpeg hanging:

# Test camera connectivity
timeout 30 ffmpeg -i "rtsp://your-camera-url" -vframes 1 -y test.jpg

Upload failures:

# Test FTP connection
python3 timelapse_manager.py ftp_test

Unicode encoding errors:

# Set environment variable
export PYTHONIOENCODING=utf-8

Debugging

Enable debug logging:

{
  "general": {
    "log_level": "DEBUG"
  }
}

📁 File Management

Automatic Cleanup

• Images are deleted after being processed into segments
• Local segments are deleted after successful upload
• Server archives completed period videos
• Configurable retention periods

Manual Cleanup

# Clean files older than today
python3 cleanup_old_files.py

# Reset current videos
curl "https://your-server.com/concatenate_videos.php?action=reset_daily_video&key=YOUR_KEY"

🏗️ Architecture

Client (Raspberry Pi)

1. Image Capture: Period-aware RTSP frame extraction
2. Segment Creation: FFmpeg concatenation of images to MP4
3. Upload: Reliable curl-based FTP transfer
4. Monitoring: Comprehensive logging and status reporting

Server (Web Server)

1. File Reception: FTP server for segment uploads
2. Video Concatenation: Real-time MP4 appending with FFmpeg
3. Period Management: Automatic archiving at period boundaries
4. Web Interface: Status monitoring and manual controls

🕐 Scheduling

Automatic Events

• 00:00: Daily video reset (new day starts)
• 03:00: Local file cleanup
• 08:00: Switch to day period (30s intervals)
• 16:00: Switch to evening period (15s intervals)
• 00:00: Switch to night period (45s intervals)

Segment Processing

• Every 15 minutes: Create MP4 from recent images
• Immediate: Upload to server via FTP
• Real-time: Server concatenates to growing video

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License – see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built for sunset/sunrise timelapse photography
• Optimized for Raspberry Pi deployment
• Designed for continuous 24/7 operation
• Tested with Reolink and Amcrest IP cameras

📞 Support

For issues and questions:

1. Check the troubleshooting section
2. Review log files with debug enabled
3. Test individual components with provided test commands
4. Open an issue with detailed logs and configuration

---

Perfect for capturing:

• 🌅 Sunrise timelapses
• 🌇 Sunset sequences
• 🌙 Day-to-night transitions
• 🏞️ Nature photography
• 🏗️ Construction projects
• 🌱 Plant growth studies